Leadership in Loss: Rising Through Grief With Faith

As leaders, we are often seen as unshakable, the ones who carry others, make decisions under pressure, and keep moving forward no matter what. Yet the truth is, we are still human. We cry. We mourn. And sometimes, the weight of loss follows us back into places we thought we had left behind.

I think of my brother Billy. In my own journey toward closure, I found myself revisiting the very scene of what was thought to be the crime, only to discover the truth of what actually took his life. That moment became part of my long, painful road to acceptance. Closure doesn’t come quickly. It unfolds slowly, painfully, and sometimes unexpectedly.

And yet even as vulnerable leaders, we rise. We vent. We cry. We allow ourselves space to remember. And then, with time, we also imagine that though they are gone, we had the privilege of sharing in the beauty of their lives. We were given our portion of their story, and that gift remains.

We also recognize that while our influence has limits, God’s does not. Where our leadership ends, His sovereignty begins. That realization gives us comfort: that one day, when we reach our own end, the God who carried us through will be the same God in whom we can entrust our loved ones, and ourselves.

The cost of leadership is not just in the boardroom or the marketplace; it is also in the silent, private battles of the heart. But even in loss, we find a deeper kind of strength that keeps us moving forward, not in denial of our grief, but carrying it with dignity, wisdom, and compassion. For it is in embracing both our strength and our vulnerability that we become the kind of leaders who not only influence but truly touch lives. - Zandra, The Lady CEO